


A Late Night Tale

by stealingpotatoes



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch, Blackwatch Era, Blackwatch Genji Shimada, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, apologies if they're a lil ooc - I'm bad at dialogue?, hi i'm back at it again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 15:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stealingpotatoes/pseuds/stealingpotatoes
Summary: Mccree needs his friends to have a break, and stop working, just for one night. Genji begrudgingly goes along.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to write again!! So... hi, welcome to my second fic. Please enjoy!  
(It's not beta-read and I can't say I'm the best at proof reading, so please point out any mistakes lol)

“You know, I  _ think _ it might be dead, pardner.” 

_ Mccree. What does he want? _

Genji yanked his short sword out of the still and now-shredded training bot and turned to see Mccree, leaning in the doorway, wearing civilian clothing and his usual smug grin.

After a moment, Mccree strolled across the grey mat towards Genji, almost as if to get a better look at the ‘dead’ bot; “Y’ever considered trainin’ less?” 

Genji turned back to the mangled bot. He had considered it - briefly - and if anything_,_ he needed to train _more_. This was proof. Genji hadn’t noticed Mccree. He was getting _sloppy. _

Mccree just stood there with his hands on his hips. 

“You missed dinner.” Mccree crossed his arms.  _ "Like you have done for the past week."  _ he muttered. 

Genji stayed in place.

Mccree dropped his arms. “Genji, you’ve been trainin’ for what—“ Mccree glanced frustratedly up to the large digital clock on the wall, rubbing his chin slightly. “Three— four hours? You need to have a break, stop for a bit. It’s getting late.” 

Genji stayed slightly crouched, blade to the sparking bot. 

Admittedly, Genji hadn’t noticed the time; the artificial light and lack of windows meant that the clock-that-he-hadn’t-been-looking-at the only source of time. Not that it would have made any difference to his time spent training. He needed to destroy the clan, destroy those he once called family, destroy the one who once called him  _ ‘brother’ _ . And he needed Mccree, who was now muttering under his breath about  _ ‘Merce being the same’ _ , to leave.

“You know what?” Red eyes flicked over to see a thoughtful-looking  _ (and not-leaving) _ Mccree pull a phone out of his pocket, “I’m takin’ you n’ Angela out for drinks— “ pausing, he held the phone up to his ear. ”Hiya Doc, you’re comin’ out for drinks with me n’ Genji— what?- yes— What do you mean you have patients—“ Mccree had begun pacing around and making gestures that he full well knew Doctor Ziegler could not see.

Why was he doing this? Genji had shown no interest in conversation, let alone  _ drinks _ . Yet Mccree kept going. Why was he so interested in his ‘health’ or anything? They were only teammates,  _ at best _ , not friends, nowhere near. He didn’t need friends. They were only a liability or someone to be betrayed by. What he needed was to train. He  _ needed _ to destroy the clan. Genji tightened his grip on his short sword. It didn’t matter what the Cowboy said, stopping training would leave room for weakness.  _ And he would never be weak again. _

Being weak had cost him his body. Being weak had cost him _ his life _ . Being weak had left him bleeding out in Shimada castle, an inch from death.

“—Takeout, non-negotiable.” Mccree pulled Genji into the present, suddenly louder than before. He was still on the phone to Doctor Ziegler.  _ And he was still here. _ “Alright, see y’in like twenty— “ Replacing the phone in his jean pocket, Mccree turned back to Genji, who was trying to pretend he was neither interested nor listening to anything that just happened, “Genji, you’re coming with me to get takeaway for us n’ the Doc. You both need a break — and dinner. Grab yer hoodie and trackies, the bus into the city leaves in five.” Mccree began walking to the door.

Genji stood up straight, about to protest, but was met with “And uh- before you say anything;  _ non-negotiable _ .” 

  


———x———

  


The lights of the dark city seemed to speed past the bus’s rain flecked windows. 

Despite how hard it was to see the rainfall in the dark night, Genji knew it hadn’t been heavy rain. Just the unsure and occasional one, that hadn’t entirely made up it’s mind as to what it was doing; raining or not. Sprays of small droplets on the bus window confirmed this every so often. Genji stared out the window, at the half-dark of the city contrasting the fluorescence of the small bus, which was rather uncomfortably white

Mccree, sat next to him, had been periodically talking at Genji for the duration of the ride. Genji hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying. 

Genji really wasn’t sure as to why he came along with Mccree. Mccree had not even asked (which  _ was _ a good idea of his, since Genji would have definitely said  _ ‘ _ no’). But he had just told him and Genji had gone along with him for some yet-to-be-known reason. 

Genji had been attempting to convince himself that the yet-to-be-known reason was that he needed to not make his teammates hate him. That  _ ‘allies’ _ would be helpful. But that had not worked, as he knew he did not - and  _ could not _ \- care. 

He was confusing himself. He hated leaving the base if it wasn’t for missions. 

He didn’t really want to be here, on the shuttle bus. Subject to the looks of newer Overwatch members, going out to town, who had not gotten used to his appearance like others. 

Yet he had not objected in the training room; he had not  _ not _ joined Mccree. He was here.

But  _ why?  _

_ _ Perhaps it was helping Doctor Ziegler? After all, she had helped him so much, and Mccree had insisted that  _ ‘the Doc’d work herself to death if they didn’t intervene’.  _ And that would be very bad. Perhaps it was just his own sleep deprivation? 

But still, it wasn’t like Mccree needed his assistance to get a takeaway.  _ Wait- _

Mccree was now pointing out the window, still talking “—And that’s where-“

“Why did we not just order food to the base?”

Mccree looked at him, almost shocked. Genji quickly realised that he had not spoken  _ at all  _ since Mccree’s arrival in the training room.

“Oh well— see that,  _ that _ is a funny story.” Mccree rubbed his neck.

Looking up at Mccree, Genji raised an eyebrow slightly.

_ _ “I may or may not-  _ maybe- _ have been a lil’ bit  _ banned _ from ordering take-out to the base.” Mccree was looking up, avoiding Genji’s eyes. 

“Why?”

“Well, wouldya look at that, we’re here.” Mccree walked towards the doors, ignoring Genji’s question.

_ “Why?”  _ Genji caught up to him.

“Uhh... I’ll tell y’another time. Come on,” 

Mccree and Genji walked into the semi dark and not-quite-rain of the street. It was refreshing. 

The bus had been too stuffy, overheated. Or Genji’s thermoregulation was messing up due to the clothing. It was getting hard to tell. 

He pocketed his hands and looked to the moon.

“So, what’re you feelin’ like? You can choose, seeing as you came all this way.” They walked a few paces. Genji was beginning to get the feeling that Mccree was almost as shocked as Genji was that he had actually come along. 

Mccree pointed to a place with a large neon sushi sign and looked to Genji, “Japanese?”

Genji just stared at him. 

“So— Not Japanese?”

Genji continued to glare.

“Yeah- figures. S’not gonna be as good as actual  _ Japanese _ Japanese food.” Mccree adjusted his hat. “Uhh- oh hey, how about the peri peri chicken place?”

“I really don’t care.” It didn’t matter what they got. Genji would barely be able to taste it anyway. And even when he could, it never tasted  _ right _ . One of the many joys of his cybernetics. 

“Okay, spicy chicken it is...” Mccree conceded. 

And so they headed towards the neon yellow storefront with the large, cartoon chicken sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> scoot yer boot to chapter 2, please (:  
also idk why I made it as 2 chapters, it just is


	2. Chapter 2

Ordering and the ride back had been uneventful. Although, that may have been because Genji  _ did _ stop paying attention after Mccree began to flirt with the person at the counter. What he did remember was the  _ stares _ . He always did. The slight shock of seeing the red eyes and the faceplate under his hood. Genji was thankful for the oversized hoodie and grey  _ ‘trackies’ _ that covered everything else. 

He had nearly forgotten how much that happened. How people looked at him. He’d hardly left the training rooms for the past few days, only leaving to go to his dorm or the cafeteria -- when he remembered to sleep or eat. That kept the  _ looks _ to a minimum.

Now, he and Mccree were walking into the Medical Wing of the Swiss Base, clutching greasy paper bags of even greasier fried chicken. It was a strange new phenomenon to walk into the Medical Wing and not be injured or be coming for a check up. 

There was a different air to the whole place. It wasn’t a horrible place with ugly, bright, artificial light and too many people for his liking. The lighting seemed softer, not so harsh and revealing, and everything was less chaotic. Though, the latter may have been because it was nighttime, so the wing was solely populated by the night shift, and those who were injured enough to merit an overnight stay. 

And, of course, Mccree and himself.

They were coming up on Doctor Ziegler’s office now.

“Heya Doc,” Mccree knocked on the door while pushing it open, which really just negated the purpose of the knock.

Doctor Ziegler looked up from her desk, “Oh, you were quicker than I thought you’d be! Give me one second-- I just need to finish—“

Mccree then, rather unceremoniously, pushed all of her papers and her tablet over the edge of the desk and plopped the paper bags where they once were. “You  _ need  _ to stop working”

“Wh--" She glared up at him, "You do realise that you’ve just made  _ more _ work for me; I’ll have to sort those back out later.”

Mccree shrugged. 

“They were  _ important _ .”

“Were they though?”

“Yes?” Doctor Ziegler sounded unimpressed.

There was a short pause which Mccree spent sheepishly grinning. 

Finally, Doctor Ziegler huffed and gestured for them to sit. Genji carefully placed the other greasy paper bag onto her desk as he sat down.

Mccree set his hat down on the table and reached to open the bags, “Angela, I got you a wing bucket- you know, for the biotics,” He handed her the card red bucket.

“Thank you,” the previous hostility had left her voice. She grabbed it out of his hands, quite eagerly. 

Genji released the catches of his face plate. Around almost anyone else, he would have felt incredibly self-conscious about his face, but Doctor Ziegler had seen him without the faceplate more than he had seen himself without it. And Mccree had tried to sit with him almost every time Genji had eaten a meal in the cafeteria

Doctor Ziegler began to open her bucket as Mccree was handing out the rest of the food “I’m surprised you managed to get a takeaway, Mccree, with your-“ She looked up to see Mccree making throat-cutting motions and mouthing  _ ‘don't’ _ . Doctor Ziegler looked to Genji, and then back to Mccree. “So he hasn’t told you?”

Genji shook his head.

Doctor Ziegler began eating a chicken wing, chuckling to herself.

"Doc," Mccree pleaded.

"Why  _ have _ you been banned from getting takeaways, Mccree?" Genji smirked, turning to Mccree. 

Doctor Ziegler smiled at Genji, laughing slightly. She had such a nice smile.

"Maybe it shouldn't!" Mccree interjected calmly, "I got you chicken wings! That's  _ gotta _ count for something."

Doctor Ziegler gestured to the mess of papers and tablets on the floor, looking wholly unimpressed.

Mccree returned to his sheepish grin "I said sorry!"

"No, you didn't." 

"Ok. I'm sorry."

"Good." Doctor Ziegler smirked. "Actually- I won't tell Genji--"

"Oh thank--"

" _ if _ you stop smoking."

Mccree had quite obviously not been expecting that. He paused, putting his hand on the back of his neck. "Well, I mean- the story's really not  _ that _ bad...".

"Hm."

Doctor Ziegler then proceeded to tell Genji why Mccree had been banned from ordering delivery. Apparently, about a year ago, Reyes had made a bet with Mccree on a mission (that Genji was not on due to being in the infirmary). Doctor Ziegler did not know the specifics of said bet, but it had somehow involved Mccree ordering ordering 1 takeaway from every food place that offered delivery in the nearest district of Zurich. Which was quite a few deliveries. And as Mccree was physically incapable of not accepting a dare, he did it. 

Genji assumed that that was what had gotten him banned, but no. 

The Blackwatch rec room was very soon enveloped in delivery boxes. But apparently this was fine with Reyes, as he had made the bet. And it had definitely raised Blackwatch's morale. 

The problem occured when a higher up member of Overwatch, who wouldn't be named for his and Mccree's sake, came into the rec room looking for Commander Reyes, and saw the chaos of delivery boxes that the rec room had become. Which would have been bad enough on its own, but then the unnamed agent slipped on a burrito that had been left on the floor. 

"Reyes threw me under the bus!" Mccree threw his hands up. "It was his idea!".

Doctor Ziegler arched an eyebrow.

"Just 'cause he got yelled at for it, ain't mean he had to yell at me," Mccree was practically speaking into his burger. "Had to clean all of it up, by myself." he sulked.

"Fio told me that she had never seen anyone look more like they were going to  _ shit _ themselves than when Reyes yelled at you then." Doctor Ziegler added, gnawing on a chicken wing. 

Mccree scoffed and bit into his burger.

"I did not hear anything about this." said Genji.

"Well t'be fair, you don't talk to anyone." Mccree said through a mouth full of burger.

He couldn't deny it. Genji generally avoided talking to others outside of missions. He didn't need to, so he didn't do it.

A few moments of silent eating passed. 

"In my defence," Mccree started, "Reyes bet me 50 bucks."

"Oh? And how much did it all cost?" Doctor Ziegler raised an eyebrow.

"Wh- some other people chipped in!" Mccree gestured emphatically. 

Doctor Ziegler muttered  _ “50 bucks”  _ to herself.

———x———

The rest of the evening had gone similarly; Mccree and Doctor Ziegler talking, returning sharp comments, and Genji saying the odd word or two. He quite liked it that way. 

Mccree had offered to walk Doctor Ziegler to her dorm, but she insisted she had work to do.  _ And a pile of paper to clean up.  _

After Genji and Mccree had helped her put her papers back on her desk and cleaned up the remnants of the takeaway, they began walking back to the Blackwatch dormitories.

The Blackwatch dorms weren't too far from the medical wing, which always made Genji's life easier. He didn't have to walk through too much of the Overwatch part of the headquarters when going for his routine check ups. He didn’t have so many stares or people awkwardly not knowing where to look.

Despite the lateness, the corridors were still alive; agents in blue, red, black and ‘civvies’ (as Mccree called them) were dotted throughout the halls. While it wasn’t as busy as it was during the day, the corridors certainly weren’t empty. 

Genji and Mccree had been walking in silence since they left Doctor Ziegler’s office. Genji wasn’t sure whether it was unsettling to not hear the Cowboy constantly speaking, or nice to have a break. 

They passed the rec room. 

“Why didn’t you want me to know about the delivery thing?” Genji looked to Mccree, “It was not that bad.” 

Mccree glanced at Genji and shrugged, “To be honest, I think Angela told it pretty tamely.”

They continued walking in silence for a few moments.

“Morrison was the Overwatch agent.” Mccree admitted.

Genji snorted; “ _ Now _ it makes sense.”

“I still can’t believe that everyone just abandoned me to clean up like that.”

“You did a good job of it. I did not even know it had happened.”

“Heh-- I’m sure if you’d’ve been there, you’d’ve helped me.”

“No, I would not have.”

“Thanks.” Mccree said dryly. 

They continued in silence until they reached the Blackwatch dorms.

Mccree stopped in front of his door; “Well it’s been nice chattin’ to ya.”

Genji gave a slight nod.

Mccree pulled out his keycard and Genji began walking down the dark grey hall.

“Oh- and Genji,” Mccree called “No more training tonight.” 

Genji smiled beneath his faceplate and nodded, before continuing down the hall. No more training tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I know what I was doing while writing this fic? no! But I was trying and that's what matters. I kind of only wrote this fic bc there are other fics I can't write until I write this (if that makes sense.)  
If you have any constructive criticism for this, please don't hesitate to tell me how I could improve!  
Anyways, thank you so much for reading!! :D


End file.
